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The now very famous title is obviously a reference to what can happen to the confirmed alcoholic when they feel compelled by their bodies to embark on the mother of all benders. As this is an addiction – or a disease, however you prefer to label it – gaps in time tend to occur quite frequently. The drunk will not remember nor care about the depths they have sunk to, but director Billy Wilder was able to superbly capture all of the squalor on film for his audience. The Lost Weekend is almost beyond reproach in its sobering message, sending a strong no-preaching tone. It has a wonderful, sometimes offbeat, script, a wide character range underscored by a marvelous supporting cast and an often moving lead in Ray Milland, our lush under the microscope, who does a grand job projecting despair and cynicism. [Read more…]

“Do you exshpect me to talk?” “No, Mr Bond. I expect you to die.” Trust a German actor to have a superior command of the English language than a Scotsman. It goes without saying that Goldfinger is the quintessential 007 film. It’s been spoofed, referenced, praised, and paid homage countless times. Seriously, I’m pretty sure just about every television series that’s existed since the 1960s has made some reference to Goldfinger in some form. No matter what your opinion of the movie, no matter where your 007 tastes run, you absolutely have to respect the third James Bond adventure for what it was: the first 007 film with all of the familiar tropes that will continue through the series until the 2006 reboot. [Read more…]

Set in 1945 in a Czech town, the Germans are on the back foot, but they are still making their presence felt. These German–closely watched– trains still pass through the train station and are given priority in passage. We follow the exploits of the station staff. The central figure is the hapless Milos Hrma, an unassuming, insecure young man with an embarrassing family history. He works at the station along with larger than life characters, including the pigeon-covered station master Lansky, the randy, libidinous dispatcher Hubicka, the floozy telegraphist Virginia and the conductress Masha. Despite their foibles and absurdities, there is a touch of longing and vulnerability which makes them human and worthy of empathy. [Read more…]

All those numbers up above are making me dizzy. Moving on–Dolly Parton, what can I say about her that’s not insulting? I mean you don’t come to highteadreams for real reviews, do you? You can get those elsewhere. This website is for coach potatoes who should be doing something better with their lives, but aren’t. Back to DP: It costs her a lot of money to look that cheap…she is a bit of an old bike who gets around a bit with male celebrities…she’s the country gal always throwing her blanket on the ground when the men were around…she’s so irritatingly cheerful about her poverty-stricken roots…flying fanny…I’ll leave it at that. As for this flick, I suppose those crazed feminists like Gloria Steinem or Angela Merkel watch it on International Women’s Day (don’t laugh) or on other “worthy” occasions. [Read more…]

Few motion pictures have the notoriety of Death Wish: short sharp slabs of repulsive, sadistic violence that linger in the memory along with a theme–if you like the film then you must be an advocate of fascist exploitation cinema, or if you don’t like it then you are a bleeding heart liberal. Critics of the time hated the picture, calling it irresponsible for advocating vigilantism. What the critics of the time failed to see, as the film became a huge commercial success, was that they had the luxury to sit in their comfy secure high rise apartments as the people of the streets lived in fear of stepping outside their homes. At least in large cities like New York. [Read more…]